car buying

Heading to the car lot to pick out a new ride can be a lot of fun. Talking to the auto lender, however, can feel a bit like a hostage negotiation. After all, you're trying to get the best car you can get for the best price, while the dealer simply wants to make as much money off you as...

WalletPop's Lan Nguyen chats with Scott Painter, founder and CEO of TrueCar.com, on how to get the best deal for a car. One of the tips Painter -- who is also founder of CarsDirect.com, Pricelock and Zag.com -- recommends is knowing what incentives work best for your wallet. Also, check out AOL...

Yesterday I wrote about how increased vulture floor traffic at GM and Chrysler dealers has diminished the likelihood you'll be able to negotiate a great deal on a vehicle from these manufacturers. Afterward, I had a chance to discuss the current state of the car shopping market with Phillip Reed,...

A woman in Shanghai came up with a way to get the car she wanted by using a method that toddlers everywhere often find successful -- screaming hysterically until someone buys it for her.A popular Chinese online video shows the woman screaming at her male companion to buy her the car, and when he...

It's hard to blame Americans for their generally negative outlook for the U.S. auto industry. Decades of management errors and cost overruns; management that has failed to aggressively respond to competition; and a massive government bailout have soured U.S. consumers on American automakers. The...

There's a little known problem that anyone buying a car should be aware of. That is, anyone buying a car who trades in their old model as part of the transaction.These days, car dealerships, as we all know, are as cash-strapped as anyone else, and so sometimes, people will trade in their autos,...

Would you buy a house because one-fourth of it suited you needs? Then why buy a car solely for its gas efficiency? According to Consumer Reports (subscription required), fuel only accounts for 26% of your overall vehicle cost. Depreciation claims a huge 46%, interest on your loan 12%, insurance...

This post is part of a series about real-life signs we're in a recession. It has been fun for the past year, since my son was born, driving around in a 1999 Ford Taurus with three kids crammed into the back seat. But the plan has long been to buy a minivan.The only one my eight-year-old daughter,...

With recession fears growing, it might not seem like a great time to think about a new car. But if you want (or need) to get a different car, you might actually be able to benefit from the challenging economic conditions. Here's how:Auto makers are desperate to sell cars. It's all about volume for...

Ready to buy a new car or truck? If so, you're pretty smart to be shopping at this time of the year, as dealers anxious to push out older 2007 models are ready to give much better incentives to prospective buyers. That doesn't mean you shouldn't perform adequate research on the vehicles on your...